Meanwhile, in Afghanistan

Not to spoil the fun in Baghdad -- bad man gone, check -- but the fight is just starting. The Washington Post, which has solidly backed the Bush administration's foreign policy thus far, editorializes that Afghanistan is being ignored and the Taliban are making a comeback. The latter conclusion seems a little strong given the evidence, but there is no doubt that nation-building is a tough task.

The Post wants the U.S. to throttle back support for regional Afghan warlords and bring in more peacekeepers. Now if that sounds like fun, wait until the process starts to unfold in Iraq. U.S. client forces are just now hitting the ground with the expected confusion and infighting. It'll be several months before we know if their addition has been net good.

On another front, CNN reported that some in the Pentagon were miffed that Marines who toppled a statue of Saddam wrapped his head in an American flag. Sends the wrong message, evidently. Don't know about that.

If you're getting shot at, I think you get to choose your message -- Jolly Roger, stars-and-bars, Grateful Dead, whatever -- go for it.